Salome Strom was born and raised in Ha’alaufuli, Vava’u, within the Kingdom of Tonga. She grew up singing “Folofola Mai ‘a Sīsū” (“Jesus Is the Way”) in the Tongan hymnbook of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
When she heard a multicultural choir sing the hymn during October 2025 general conference, she cried.
“Honestly, I was among the numerous Tongans who were astonished and [shed] tears of joy when the choir performed the Tongan song in English,” she said. “The English translation and the sounds are impeccably aligned with the vocals throughout the chorus.”
Koloneita Male, the second counselor in the bishopric of the Trenton Ward (Tongan) in the Grand River Missouri Stake, said “Jesus Is the Way” is one of those songs that almost every Tongan family knows, much like “I Am a Child of God” for native English speakers.
“‘Folofola Mai ‘a Sīsū’ is a beloved hymn that holds a special place in our hearts,” he said.
The hymn was written by a Tongan pioneer named Tēvita Tuliakiono, who was among the first to join the Church in Nuku‘alofa, Tonga, in 1916.
Each week, he walked 3 miles across the island to go to church. In 1920, when a Tongan hymnbook was published, six of Tuliakiono’s hymns were included, including “Folofola Mai ‘a Sīsū.”
The chapter about this hymn in Gospel Library explains that early editions of the Tongan hymnbook did not include any form of musical notation, as tunes and harmonies were passed down orally. Then, in 1973, a new hymnal used Tu‘ungafasi — a Tongan system of music notation which uses numbers instead of notes on a staff. This made it possible for Latter-day Saints across Tonga to learn and sing the hymns.
“Jesus Is the Way” was added in the latest batch of hymns to“Hymns — For Home and Church” in September.
Singing this hymn — which has been translated into many languages for the new global hymnbook — feels “deeply humbling and joyful,” Strom wrote to the Church News.
“It’s more than just a translation; it’s a testimony that the faith, devotion, and voice of a beautiful small island nation can now uplift members of the Church across the world,” Strom said.
Listen to this song here.
Singing and building unity
Strom, who lives with her husband and five children in the Avalon Branch (Tongan) of the Wellington and Hutt New Zealand Stake, said the hymn carries a special spirit for the branch because they come from different backgrounds.
“When we sing it together, it unites us. It feels like a shared testimony that we all rely on the Savior, and that He truly is the Way for each of us.”
Male feels a deep sense of unity as well when this hymn is sung at home or at church.
“The harmony, the way the men sing the bass, and how everyone’s voices blend together is a beautiful reminder that we’re united as a family, a ward and even a village,” Male said.
Hearing the hymn in English is like “we are all united, on earth and a little bit of heaven too,” he said. And in any language, “it brings to mind a sense of how songs might be sung in heaven, connecting us all in spirit.”
The Strom family sings the song together in Tongan for family nights and gatherings, school events and while traveling in the car to church, school and the Hamilton New Zealand Temple. It reminds them to stay anchored in Jesus Christ, Strom said, because true peace and direction come only through Him — the song invites all to “come in through Him.”
Strom is grateful that the worldwide Church will sing the words that were once familiar only in Tongan. And she feels it connects her family and her Tongan-speaking branch with Latter-day Saints all over the world.
“It reminds me that the Lord values every culture, every person, and every offering of worship,” she said. “It feels like a piece of home has been woven into the worldwide family of Saints, testifying that the gospel truly embraces all nations, kindreds, tongues and people.”
